The sun blazed in the zenith, hanging like a ball of molten iron against the blue.

A spirit boat tore across the sky, its hull vibrating with a high-pitched drone as its engines were pushed past their redline. It was racing at breakneck speed.

As the vessel shrieked over a particular stretch of dense forest, it suddenly decelerated, the air warping around it as it slammed on the brakes. It came to a shuddering halt above the canopy.

Five cultivators poured out of the cabin. Some flew under their own power, others summoned artifacts, but all began frantically scanning the woods below.

“Yang Zhen!”

“Elder Xu!”

“Where are you?!”

Their desperate calls were answered not by voices, but by a thunderous boom.

A shockwave of spiritual energy erupted from the forest floor, expanding outward like a tsunami. In an instant, a translucent dome locked into place, sealing a ten-mile radius. The barrier shimmered with restrictive runes—easy to enter, impossible to exit.

It was a perfect trap formation.

“Ambush!”

“It’s an array! Regroup, now!”

“Back to the boat!”

Panic flared among the Immortal Crane Sect members. The five cultivators scrambled to form a defensive perimeter, backs pressed together.

Below them, Li Qingdu rose slowly from the canopy. He floated in the air, hands clasped behind his back, staring at the trapped prey with cold indifference.

Simultaneously, three other Foundation Establishment auras flared to life. Wu Zheng, Shen Changbai, and Gu Yue shot into the sky from the east, west, and south, completing the encirclement.

“You!” The leader of the trapped group, a middle-aged man in luxurious brocade robes, pointed a trembling finger at Li Qingdu. “The Wuji Sect’s mad dog!”

This was You Ye—the Sect Leader of the Immortal Crane Sect.

“You old dog,” Li Qingdu said, his voice dripping with murderous intent. He drew his long sword, the steel singing in the silence. “I’ve waited a long time for this. Today, your lineage ends.”

You Ye scanned the ambushers, his face twisting. “Resorting to such dirty tricks! Where are my people?!”

Li Qingdu pointed a finger at the forest floor. “Right down there. Want to see them?”

“Release them!” You Ye snarled.

“Release them?” Li Qingdu scoffed. “I spent days planning this capture. Do you think I run a charity?”

“What do you want?!”

“Oh, I don’t want anything.” Li Qingdu’s expression went flat, devoid of mercy. “I just want to send a message. Betrayal has a price.”

He looked down at the forest and roared, “Kill them all, now!”

Bang! Bang!

Below the canopy, the loose cultivators executed the order instantly. Spiritual energy blasted the skulls of the unconscious Yang Zhen and the Elder into oblivion, sending them straight to the Yellow Springs.

Qin Lu watched the execution without blinking. In this game, pawns like Yang Zhen were dead the moment they were captured.

He shifted his gaze upward, activating his [Heavenly Eye Technique].

The enemy composition was clear: three Foundation Establishment experts (one Mid-stage, two Early-stage) and two Qi Refining disciples (Level 9 and Great Perfection). This was the sect’s entire elite force.

Qin Lu exhaled. Four against three in the Foundation Establishment bracket. Eight against two in the Qi Refining bracket. We have the numbers.

“Ah! Zhen’er!”

High above, You Ye screamed as the Soul Paper in his palm disintegrated into ash.

“You thieving scum! I’ll bury you all with him!”

With a roar of pure grief and rage, You Ye abandoned all defense and charged straight at Li Qingdu.

The battle exploded instantly.

“It’s starting! Move!”

“Pairs! Split up and harass!”

“Take out the two small fries first!”

The eight Qi Refining ambushers on the ground sprang into action.

They couldn’t touch the Foundation Establishment fight happening in the stratosphere—the gap in power was too vast, and the distance too great. Their job was to clip the wings of the enemy’s support.

Qin Lu and Gu Can boarded a flying shuttle and shot upward. Gu Can took the bow as the gunner, while Qin Lu manned the helm.

Boom!

Clang!

The sky turned into a chaotic light show.

The Foundation Establishment experts paired off immediately. You Ye and Li Qingdu tore away from the main group, their clash of sword and spell carrying them over a thousand meters away in seconds. Shen Changbai locked down one Elder, while Gu Yue and the injured Wu Zheng double-teamed the other.

Meanwhile, Qin Lu and the seven other loose cultivators swarmed the two isolated Immortal Crane disciples.

It was a massacre in the making.

“Fire!”

Qin Lu’s group didn’t bother with honor. They unleashed a barrage of talismans from a safe distance.

The two Crane disciples, realizing they were vastly outnumbered, activated their defensive shields and tried to dive their vessel away.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

“Chase them down!”

“Don’t let them breathe!”

The ambushers shouted in a cacophony of bloodlust, their faces twisted with the thrill of the hunt. Qin Lu watched them, a stray thought crossing his mind: We really look like the villains here.

Villains or not, he didn’t hesitate. He poured spiritual energy into the shuttle’s thrusters, closing the gap.

“Eat this!” Gu Can roared, emptying his inventory.

[Ice Block Talisman]. [Flame Talisman]. [Giant Rock Talisman]. [Gravity Talisman]. [Cold Arrow Talisman].

It was a storm of elemental violence. Explosions rocked the enemy vessel, chipping away at its shield until it flickered and died.

A final [Flame Talisman] struck the hull, igniting the engine core. The boat spiraled downward, trailing black smoke.

“They’re going down! Get them!”

As the burning wreckage neared the treetops, the two Crane disciples leaped out, weapons drawn, desperate to make a final stand.

They landed in a clearing, back to back. But the eight ambushers descended on them like locusts.

There was no miraculous comeback. No hidden power-up.

Eight Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators unleashed a coordinated bombardment. Within minutes, the two disciples were blasted into unrecognizable meat.

“Clear!” someone shouted, snatching a storage bag from a corpse. “Let’s go help the Seniors!”

“Agreed!”

Qin Lu nodded. He spun the shuttle around, banking toward the south where Gu Yue was fighting.

“Hang on, Sis,” Gu Can grinned, reloading his talisman stack. “Reinforcements are coming!”